NIMBA – Over the past years reports of illegal farmers and miners flooded the airwaves and newspapers in Liberia that foreign nationals, mainly Burkinabes invaded South Eastern Liberia, occupying Grand Gedeh, River Gee and parts of Maryland Counties, where they either engaged in illegal farming and mining in protected national forests and parks.
There have been several raids in those counties by security forces over the years but time over time and again, these Burkinabes kept their influx in search of farming land, while other nationals got involved in illegal mining activities in reserved concession areas and natural parks.
The Liberia government through various county authorities deployed all sort of methods and engaged with their counterparts across the borders, including Ivorian security and local authorities along the borderlines to jointly find ways to prevent the influx of these illegal farmers and miners into Liberia. But years went by and nothing tangible was achieved and until quite recently, Liberian authorities made some gains to begin the clearing out of these illegal farmers and miners from Burkina Faso.
During the week, Liberian authorities expelled from the country about 62 Burkinabe Faso nationals, who were found living and farming illegally in a forest concession area in Konobo District in Grand Gedeh County. These Burkinabes entered Liberia illegally and engaged in unauthorized farming in the county.
The operation was carried out jointly by the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS).
The individuals were discovered deep within a forest zone designated to a European logging company, where they were reportedly cultivating cocoa without proper authorization or immigration documentation.
According to the head of the FDA’s Deportation Unit, the group’s presence violated immigration laws and posed a serious threat to Liberia’s protected lands and natural resources. “They entered illegally, and they’re being returned,” the official stated.
In contrast to past deportation challenges involving Ivorian officials, Ivorian security forces this time around received the deportees without incident, while calling for future repatriations to follow established legal procedures.
Previously, the FDA and LIS encountered challenges to expel these illegal and unauthorized farmers from Grand Gedeh County, as Ivorian border authorities had told them over the period that deportation required several procedures, including the involvement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, as these illegal farmers did not have proper documentation of passing through Ivory Coast to enter Liberia. But after series of negotiations by both countries border and security authorities the impasse was resolved leading to the first expulsion from Grand Gedeh County of about 62 Burkinabes who had lived in the area illegally and were involved in unauthorized farming.
Meanwhile, the FDA and LIS have reaffirmed their commitment to protect Liberia’s forests and concession zones from illegal intrusion, promising severer monitoring and enforcement going forward.
The Southeastern counties of Liberia are endowed with natural resources, fertile farm lands, gold and diamond fields, fishery opportunities as well as natural forest reserves. It is these natural resources some illegal foreigners are trying to exploit with the help of their Liberian hosts in those counties.
Gradually, the Liberian government, through the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) has begun to take stern actions to curb the illegal and unauthorized farming by foreigners in the Southeast, mainly Grand Gedeh, with the hope that the exercise will extend to River Gee and parts of Maryland Counties sooner than later.
